High levels of histamine can be found in the airways of asthma patients. This study describes the effects of histamine on anti-CD3-induced production of IL-4, IL-5, and IFN-gamma by T cell clones from subjects with allergic asthma and healthy subjects. T cell clones were obtained from bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid and blood. The number of clones tested, and the percentage of clones in which histamine inhibited or enhanced cytokine production by more than 25%, were as follows: IL-4, 47, 8.5%, and 4.3%; IL-5, 43, 14%, and 30%; and IFN-gamma, 52, 40%, and 15%. Inhibition of IL-5 and IFN-gamma production was reversed by IL-2. The enhancement of IFN-gamma production was associated with an enhancement of both IL-2 production and proliferation. In 21% of the clones a combined effect consisting of inhibition of IFN-gamma production and enhancement of IL-5 production was found. This response was reversed by H2-receptor antagonists and was significantly associated with a histamine-induced increase in intracellular levels of cAMP. The role of cAMP in mediating the histamine effects was supported by the observations that the beta2-agonist salbutamol had effects similar to histamine and that high concentrations of PGE2 mimicked the inhibitory effects of histamine. Clones from BAL fluid and blood showed similar responses, as did clones from patients with asthma and from control subjects. The enhancement of IFN-gamma production by histamine, however, was found only in clones from healthy subjects. The results warrant further investigations on the role of cAMP in the regulation of cytokine production.